History Of British Empire In English || History Of World In English

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For more than hundred years, the colony of Hong Kong had been under the administration of the British Empire, rapidly developing into a major entrecote of the region. Amidst the Second World War, 

tensions between the Empire of Japan and the Allied Nations were escalating, as Japan was trying to make its foothold in the Pacific bigger than ever before. These tensions finally led to the Japanese Empire’s simultaneous 

attack on allied bases across the theatre in December of 1941. In this video we will cover one of these attacks- the Battle of Hong Kong. Among our new year resolutions for 2021 is reading more books and the sponsor of today’s Post Blankest will help us achieve it despite our packed schedule. Blankest has more than 3000 nonfiction title son history, science, economics, politics , and much more condensed into 15 minute listens or reads,

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 Another must-listen title is China's Second Continent by Howard French, which describes the Chinese attempts to build a global empire in Africa. When  the British signed the Anglo-Japanese Alliance in 1902, they were not expecting that Japan would rise to dominance in the Far East, rather they were concerned about the expansion of the Russian Empire in the region. But after the Russo-Japanese War and the annexation of Korea,

 the Empire of Japan became a powerhouse and started to dream about a Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, essentially threatening the rule of Western powers in the Far East. In 1923, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was terminated, leaving behind a feeling of distrust between the British Commonwealth and the Empire of Japan. By 1936,

History Of British Empire In English

 the Japanese had expanded into Manchuria and Inner Mongolia, causing great concern in the British Colonies. As Japan invaded China and managed to conquer Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai, the Colonies started preparing for war. In October 1938, Japanese troops landed at Bias Bay, just 24km northeast of Hong Kong, and captured the cities of Guangzhou and Wuhan. Despite these losses, 

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the Chinese refused to surrender and continued to resist while building up the means to sustain the war effort. During this time, much of the aid that China received from the Allied nations arrived by sea, with Hong Kong being their most important port. By 1940, around 40% of the vital supplies received by the Chinese came through Hong Kong, as most of the Chinese ports had been already occupied by Japan. Thus, for Japan’s war strategy, it was criticalto cut off China’s supply through the British colony. Furthermore, 

economic sanctions and embargoes by the Allies and the United States increased the tensions between the two parties, finally forcing the Japanese Empire to follow a path down to war. As the border conflicts at the Shenzhen River intensified and thousands of refugees fled into the British colony, 

the Hong Kong Government announced the evacuation of European women and children and started to improve its defenses for an unavoidable attack. As for its garrison, they had Major General Christopher Malty with two British and two Indian regular army battalions, supported by one local Chinese regiment and five infantry companies from the Hong Kong Volunteer Defense Corps. 

These forces, however, lacked experienced officers and were reduced to a symbolic size, as the British government didn’t think that Hong Kong could be successfully defended; instead, it could only be held for some little time to delay the Japanese advance. In late 1941, Maltby also received the reinforcement of two Canadian battalions, dubbed as the C Force,

 thus helping to boost the morale of the defenders and bringing their total to 14000. Meanwhile, the Japanese invading force of the 23rd Army was composed by the 38th Infantry Division, with approximately 20000 men; the Second China Fleet,

 with the Isuzu light cruiser as its flagship; and the 1st Air Brigade, mainly composed of the Kawasaki Ki-32 light-bombers. The leading commanders of the operation, GeneralSakai Takashi and Major General Kuribayashi Tadamichi, 

planned to capture Hong Kong within ten days by conducting a naval blockade and bombardment, along a series of air strike son key installations, with a final three-pronged land invasion led by the 228th, 

229th and230th Regiments of the 38th Division. According to the plan, to the west, the 230thwould make a large hook curving right to clear the Castle Peak Road and to strike at the vital point around the left flank of the Gin Drinkers Line. To the east,

 the 229th would cross the Tidal Cove at the Tolo Harbor heading towards the Kai-Tak Airport and the Devil’s Peak, amajor battery position; while in the center, the 228th would strike directly at the Gin Drinkers Line. 

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The aim of the plan was to destroy the British forces at the mainland while forcing Hong Kong to surrender with an intense bombardment. If the British continued to resist, however, then the island would have to be invaded as well. 

To cover this invasion force, Sakai also placed the 66th Regiment at the town of Dashi to protect the rear against the Chinese and to secure the conquered zones at Kowloon and the New Territories. On December 1, 

the Japanese plan was approved and the 23rd Army started to mobilize to prepare for the offensive operation. Five days later, some Imperial troops had already landed at Mirs Bay and the bulk of the invading force had managed to reach BujiTown near the Shenzhen River. Early morning on December 8, 

the Japanese invasion began with an air bombardment over the Kai-Tak Airport, effectively destroying most of the British aircraft. At the same time, Maltby learned of the disaster at Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war, so he ordered the troops at Kowloon to blowup all bridges and demolition points with the objective of slowing down the Japanese advance.

 While the men at the Gin Drinkers Line prepared themselves for war, General Sano Taday oshi’s 38th Division crossed the river and commenced its offensive. All around the New Territories, the Japanese suffered a series of ambushes by the Punjabi defenders,

 yet despite the casualties, the invaders remained relentless in their advance, aided by stolen maps procured by spies on the island. By late afternoon, the Japanese had reached the village of Taipo, and a couple hours later, the invaders took their enemy by surprise at the town of Shatin, forcing the defenders to retreat to the Gin Drinkers Line. 

The following day, Vice-Admiral Niimi Mesachie board the Isuzu completed the naval blockade around the island of Hong Kong, although two British destroyers managed to escape the encirclement. At midday, Colonel Doi of the 228th was at Needle Hill doing reconnaissance when he detected a weak spot on the Gin Drinkers Line, 

exactly at the Shing Mun Redoubt. Despite the foggy weather and the fact that the redoubt was outside his regimental boundary, the Japanese officer didn’t want to waste this great opportunity to break through the British defenses, 

so he ordered his men to prepare for the assault. On Shing Mun, an inexperienced and undermanned company of the Royal Scots controlled five reinforced pillboxes connected by underground tunnels. In total, around 40 defenders were going to face off against 1500 Japanese troops. Undetected,